Tête à Tête
by anticute
Summary: Where anticute shoves all the drabbles and random dialogue pieces. Tony/Pepper, others.
1. the working dynamics

i have a bunch of random drabbles that can't stand alone as individual fics so i'm just gonna discriminate against their shortness and shove them in here? kay? kay.

**TÊTE-À-TÊTE**  
Where anticute shoves all the drabbles.  
_the working dynamics_

* * *

"I like it when you walk like that."

"What?" Pepper stilled her stapling to just blink at him.

"Like. That," he shrugged, "something about it is nice."

Pepper narrowed her eyes, "'Nice' as in sexual harassment or..."

"Nice as in, I like it when you look all determined."

"Oh," she said simply, was unsure how to move, continue working, without feeling oddly overly watched by Tony.

"And because it's sexy."

"You can stop there."

"I can't even compliment you now that we're together?"

"Not when I'm determined to finish all of this paperwork, _then_ you can compliment me. And preferably in bed."

"Fuck."

"Precisely. Though, again preferably, third round, and after we have something to eat."

_"Pepper."_

* * *

this was originally supposed to be earlyfic with tony the flirt. but that's boring 'cause i've done it already.

so it became established, postim2/avengers, and pepper the flirt. with tony the flustered.


	2. the team dynamics: 1?

bruce apparently didn't stay with tony postavengers but this was written before we found that out in the IM3 panel. so. yup.

**TÊTE-À-TÊTE**  
Where anticute shoves all the drabbles.  
_the team dynamics: 1/?_

* * *

Bruce makes himself home and he does feel at home, if not slightly unsettled.

He is more unsettled when he's found with Pepper wrapped about him, on the eighth day of his stay.

"I invited you into my home, Banner," Tony says with a chuckle, standing at the foot of the stairs, loosening the knot of his tie, "I don't remember inviting you into the bedroom."

"Oh, I-it's not how it looks-," Bruce says lamely and is baffled when Tony laughs even more.

Pepper rolls her eyes, as she untangles herself from Bruce's arms. She rights herself, pats Bruce on the shoulder and just smiles at him, "Thank you, Bruce, for catching my fall. I suppose that will teach me to break in new shoes before taking these stairs."

She makes the remaining few steps gingerly, palm gliding across the bannister as she does so, "You may want to watch where your hands go though, next time."

"Uh- You're wel- Wait. Next time?"

"Oh, he's _fun,"_ Pepper laughs.

Tony just grins at her, "Yeah?"

When she reaches the last step, she shakes her head amusedly at Tony, who flourishes a helping hand towards her. When she reaches the ground, she just lightly pushes his hand away with hers.

Bruce is still floundering with his words, "I-, I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. I-she just tripped and I was around and I-"

"Hey, I got ya'," Tony says, with a dismissive hand up. Bruce nervously holds his hands together, still working out how to be himself around people again.

As Pepper walks past him, Tony takes the opportunity to lightly squeeze her waist affectionately, discreetly. She bumps into him with her hip, playful, in response.

"Can't wait to see what the rest of them do," Pepper says, as her heels click against the floor.

* * *

...i made bruce too floppy, if that's even the right word.


	3. the domestic dynamics: 1?

more random dialogue that has no sense or purpose! we all knew this day was coming. when i'd write domestic stuff. or at least, less dramatic domestic stuff.

postim2. preim3. consider pepper moved in at this point.

**TÊTE-À-TÊTE**  
the domestic dynamics 1/?

* * *

"Potts. I've made Forbes' wealthiest list consistently. I can afford chairs and chairs and more chairs. Even chairs that can convert into tables," he paused, "not sure why I don't have one already. So, what are you doing exactly on the floor?"

"You've got eyes," Pepper said, looking up briefly to just smile at him. She turned around, reaching around the cushions of the couch behind to grab a small box and propped it open. She collected the tops of the nail bottles within the box with both hands, dropping them on the carpet before her, the clink of glass bottles as they rolled against one another and settled into place. She hummed, to the music playing through the speakers of the living room (JARVIS's shuffle function won out over any other music player's), and worked on arranging the bottles by color.

"You paint your nails?"

She laughed, "Yes? Is this weird somehow?"

"No," he replied. He sat down on the couch that she was leaning against, from her place on the floor, "Maybe. Sort of weird. Not that. Just. This," he gestured to her looking rather comfortable in his home, "but I meant- _You_ paint your nails?"

She glanced behind her to look at him, in slight confusion, "Yes. Why? Is it a problem? I can relocate, if the fumes are going to bother you, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, no. It's fine," he shrugged, "you've dealt with worse with the things I work with. Least I can do is stand some nail stuff. I just didn't know you did your own nails."

"Well, I don't have my own bots to do my kind of paintjobs, do I?"

"...I-"

"No," she said immediately, laughing. She had even pressed a hand over his shin, the one closest to her, to stop his movements and from acting on whatever ideas he had. "I was kidding, Tony. I can't imagine DUM-E would be very helpful on that front."

"Yet," he proposed. Then, "Actually, yeah, no. Probably not."

"Definitely not."

"I just figured you had someone do it for you. Save you the time."

"Oh," she said and then just smiled at the colors before her, "No. I prefer to do it myself. I like it, actually. It's cathartic."

More glass against glass, as she picked up stray bottles that had fallen sideways and set them upright. The song faded to the next seamlessly, the tempo slightly faster from the previous.

"You sure you don't want me to just go outside?"

"You're fine," he repeated, tossing his phone to the side. He slouched further down in his seat and then nudged her thigh with his foot, "do I get to choose? The color."

She looked at him, his cheeky grin, and rolled her eyes. With a wave of a hand, she gestured to her pile of reds, well aware he was inclined to that part of the color scheme. She was, however, drawing the line on using anything gold or gold sparkles on said red layer.

He surprised her with a rose taupe.

* * *

BECAUSE PEPPER /WOULD/ ORGANIZE HER NAIL POLISH BY COLOR.

also, i dunno. tony probably has acetone down in the shop so she never has to buy her own acetone. it's like, when you move in with someone and you end up sharing stuff/toothbrushes, and i guess that's their version of that stage of a relationship?


End file.
